A roadrunner is a fast-running bird found in the deserts and dry areas of the American Southwest and Mexico. Despite having wings, roadrunners prefer sprinting across the ground to flying, reaching speeds up to 20 miles per hour as they chase lizards, insects, and even rattlesnakes.

These birds get their name from their habit of racing along dirt roads and paths, their long legs carrying them in quick bursts while their tail streams behind for balance. Roadrunners are about two feet long from beak to tail, with speckled brown and white feathers that blend into the desert landscape. They have a distinctive appearance: a shaggy crest of feathers on their head, a long, curved beak, and bright patches behind their eyes.

Native American tribes admired the roadrunner's speed and courage. In nature, roadrunners are clever hunters who can kill and eat venomous snakes by grabbing them and smashing them against rocks. They're tough, resourceful birds perfectly adapted to harsh desert life.

The roadrunner became famous as a cartoon character who constantly outwits Wile E. Coyote in Warner Bros. cartoons. While the real bird can't say “beep beep” or run quite as impossibly fast as the cartoon version, actual roadrunners are remarkable creatures worth watching if you ever visit the desert Southwest.